Dinara Safina had a terrible time winning her semifinal match against Venus Williams. Serving for the match at 6-7, 6-3, 5-4, 30-15, Safina made the final game a microcosm of the entire match. She double-faulted--not the only time she would do that--which helped give Williams four break points. But every time she was close to being broken, Safina came up with blistering winners that gave her a chance to start all over at deuce. She blew a couple of match points, but was finally able to close.
Williams dominated the beginning of the match, though Safina was able to force a tiebreak in the first set. Williams won that set, and then went up a break in the second. Things didn't look too good for the world number 1 on paper, but we're talking about Thrill Ride here, and she was happy to turn the set--and the match--around, amid many curves, bumps and traps. That's how she operates. Not surprisingly, Williams' forehand became a deficit, and eventually, so did her backhand. In the end, Safina--despite lapses--was just too tough mentally.
The match lasted over three hours, and was one of the best matches I've seen this year--a true thriller.
Safina's opponent in the final will be Svetlana Kuznetsova, who has been playing superbly in Rome. Kuznetsova finished off a sullen, error-prone Victoria Azarenka, who never got past her (justified) displeasure over a bad line call early in the match. Kuznetsova won the match 6-2, 6-4.
6 comments:
Everyone says that you don't need Hawkeye because the ball leaves a mark, yadda, yadda but one must first to find the right ball mark before deciding if it's in or out. Bring on Hawkeye already!
Mel
I'm with you, Mel, but organizers say it's too expensive.
hi diane...
what a match...both are fighting it out to the last drop...
dinara seems to be a true no.1 after the match, she held her head up high...i guess dinara wanted to win more the match rather than losing it, i think she needs to win this match to prove to doubters that she really is the world no.1...
it's a sad loss for vee...but there are some points in the decider that could have overturned the match, there are two points of the match which could have been beneficial, at 3-3, vee serving and easy game to go at 4-3 could have been the course but an in-ball had been called out, and dina could have at least shown a pennetta like sport'woman'ship then vee could have won it...
im really sad...
I remember that call. There were a couple of calls I wondered about, but that's standard for every match. It's when you wonder about five or six of them that it's a big problem.
Despite losing, Venus played some really great tennis.
I don't believe Dinara was mentally tough. She's a lucky winner. Venus's worst surface is clay,If Dinara was so mentally tough, she should have taken the match in stright sets. Yes she won, but she still has too many people in her head, she had to call her coach EVERY set to help her get some of the voices out.
You bring up a good point, Anon. I think that Safina is playing out some sort of rebellion/approval scenario by supposedly needing her coach to chew her out periodically. My gut feeling is that her need for him is more psychological than tactical.
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